Molded Roofing Inserts, Roofs Therewith, And Methods For Installing The Same

ABSTRACT

A roofing insert, comprising a molded insert made with insulating material having at least one planar surface opposed by either a non-planar surface or more than one non-parallel surface.

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/536,108 filed on Jul. 24, 2017, which is incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

Embodiments of this invention are directed toward molded, tapered inserts and roof constructions that incorporate these tapered inserts.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Many commercial buildings are constructed with flat or nearly flat roofs. A common problem with flat roofs is that water accumulates in the low-lying areas, which eventually leads to leaks in those particular areas. Some flat roofs are constructed with a slight pitch to provide a gravity assist in directing water to an edge of the roof or a drain. In larger area roofs, drains may be provided in strategic positions away from the roof edge. In order to provide a desired pitch and thereby direct water to a desired location, tapered insulation boards, which are positioned between the roof deck and membrane, can be employed. These tapered boards are typically rectangular in shape and have one thick longitudinal edge, one thin opposed longitudinal edge, and two lateral edges that are tapered.

Where the roof structure includes a drain, it is common to construct a sump around the drain to thereby directed water to the drain. The sump is often constructed from tapered insulation boards that are inserted into the insulation layer surrounding the drain. More specifically, the tapered boards, are cut into wedge or triangular shape and these pieces are positioned around the drain to provide pitch toward the drain from all directions around the radius of the drain.

As the skilled person appreciates, construction of sump can be very time consuming. And, moreover, construction of a sump wastes a significant amount of material since only a portion of the tapered board, which is cut into wedges, is used to build the sump. The remainder of the tapered board is often scrapped.

In an effort to alleviate problems with time-consuming nature of the building a sump on a roof, U.S. Pat. No. 8,365,487 proposes the manufacture of a preformed sump that includes a hinge to allow two mirror-imaged sides to fold together along the flat edge. Each mirror-imaged side includes three panels including a large central panel in the form of a isosceles triangle with the right angle of the triangle at the center of the sump, along with two smaller side panels also in the form of isosceles triangles. The hypotenuse of the two side panels lies along the legs of the central panel, all sloping towards the center of one edge. The two sides are bonded together with a flexible tape to form a unitary sump that can simply be unfolded an located in position.

This hinged sump, however, is nonetheless constructed from tapered board, and therefore the waste associated with the use of tapered boards is not alleviated. Also, the construction of this hinged board requires a skilled worker who is required to make appropriate cuts in the tapered board.

Since problems associated with the construction of sumps arounds drains within roof systems remains a problem in the art, a need for simple and economical solutions remain a desire.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

One or more embodiments of the present invention provide a roofing insert, comprising a molded insert made with insulating material having at least one planar surface opposed by either a non-planar surface or more than one non-parallel surface.

Yet other embodiments of the present invention provide a roofing system comprising (i) a deck board layer; (ii) an insulation board layer disposed on said deck board, said insulation board layer having an insulation board layer opening; (iii) a molded insert received in said insulation board layer opening; and (iv) a membrane layer disposed over said insulation board layer and said molded sump.

Further embodiment of the present invention provide a roofing insert, comprising a molded insert made with insulating material having a planar bottom surface, an abutment surface perpendicular to said planar bottom surface, and wherein the planar bottom surface and the abutment surface are connected by two sloping surfaces.

Yet further embodiments of the present invention provide a roofing system containing a vertical abutment means comprising (i) a sloped roof deck comprising (a) a deck board layer; (b) an insulation board layer disposed on said deck board; and (c) a membrane layer disposed over said insulation board layer; (ii) a vertical abutment means, wherein the intersection of the sloped roof deck and the vertical abutment means creates a roof-abutment intersection; and (iii) a molded insert received within the roof-abutment intersection.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the roof system including a molded sump according to the embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a roof system taken along 1-1.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the molded sump according to the concepts of the present invention.

FIG. 4A is a perspective view of a section of a sump showing a top and first and second sides.

FIG. 4B is a perspective view of the section of the sump shown in 4A rotated 180° showing a top and first and second opposed sides.

FIG. 5 is an elevational view of an alternative roof system utilizing a molded insert such as a cricket is installed according to the concepts of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a top view of the cricket according to the concepts of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is an operational flow chart showing the installation steps of a molded insert into a roof system according to the concepts of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENTS

Embodiments of the invention are based, at least in part, on the discovery of a molded sump insert that is useful for incorporation into a roofing system, particularly around a drain. In one or more embodiments, the inset, or at least various pieces thereof, are molded, integral pieces that are factory-fabricated. While the prior art contemplates preformed sumps, the preformed sump of the present invention are molded and therefore advantageously avoid labor issues associated with the prior art preformed sumps and, moreover, avoid the waste materials that are created when the preformed sumps of the prior art are constructed. Still further, the molded sumps of the present invention have less seams than the prior art preformed sumps, which provides advantages when installed on the roof. Accordingly, embodiments of the invention are directed toward molded inserts, the use of molded inserts within a roofing system, and the methods for constructing roof systems with the molded inserts.

Roof systems including the inserts according the present invention can be understood with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, which show a roof system 10 including a molded tapered insert 32, which may also be referred to as molded insert 32, sump 32, or simply insert 32. Although roof system 10 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is generally a low slope or flat roof system, it will be appreciated that the inserts may be employed in other roof constructions. In one or more embodiments, insert 32 provides a structured guide to direct the flow of water, especially toward a roof drain, and may be advantageously used in areas on a roof where water would otherwise unnecessarily accumulate.

Roof system 10 may be best understood with reference to FIG. 2, which shows a deck board layer 12, which may simply be referred to as deck 12. Deck 12 may be constructed of either wood, wood composite, corrugated sheet metal, corrugated metal, or other similar materials. Deck 12 may form the outermost structural portion of the building on which the remaining roof system components are carried. Deck 12 is typically supported by underlying girders, beams, joists, or whatever is commonly used in roof constructions. Deck 12 may have a drain opening 13 or a plurality of drain openings extending therethrough, which drains are typically strategically placed for water removal from the roof surface.

Disposed on deck 12 is an insulation board layer 14. Insulation board layer 14 may include a plurality of insulation boards 16, which may be of various sizes and thicknesses. And, in some embodiments, there may be multiple layers of insulation boards 16, although only one layer 14 is shown in FIG. 2. Insulation boards 16 may be provided in any form known to those skilled in the art, and may be, for example, a polymeric foam construction boards such as polyisocyanurate foam board. In one or more embodiments, insulation board layer 14 may be secured to deck 12 by any method known in the art, including by mechanical fasteners and/or with the use of adhesives. Insulation board layer 14 includes one or more openings 18 that are aligned with drain openings 13.

In some embodiments, a cover board layer 22, which may include a plurality of coverboards 21, may be disposed on or above deck 12 (e.g. above insulation board layer 14 as shown in FIG. 2). As is known in the art, cover boar layer 22 provides additional strength and protection to the roofing system and, in particular, protects insulation layer 14. Cover boards 21 may be any number of materials or composite materials known in the art including, but not limited to, oriented strand board (OSB), DensDeck™ (Georgia Pacific), high-density isocyanurate foam, plywood, and the like. In a similar fashion to insulation layer 14, cover board layer 22 includes board opening 24, which is aligned with insulation board layer openings 18 and drain openings 13. In one or more embodiments, cover board layer 22 may be secured to deck 12 by any method known in the art, including by mechanical fasteners and/or with the use of adhesives.

A membrane 28 may be disposed above deck 12 (e.g. disposed directly on board layer 22 as shown in FIG. 2, if provided, or disposed directly on insulation board layer 14). The membrane 28 may be in the form of sheets or panels, which sheets may be constructed of, for example, bituminous materials, rubber materials such as EPDM, thermoplastic materials such TPO, or the like. The sheets may be seamed to one another, such as the through the use of an adhesive, and are secured to deck 12 through other known structural features for attachment to an underlying roof structure such as mechanical fastening, adhesives, or ballasting. Membrane 28 may have a membrane opening 29 that is aligned with the predetermined drain openings 13. As will be discussed below, membrane 28 is typically disposed and secured into position after installation of insert 32.

According to embodiments of the represent invention, and as best shown in FIG. 2, insert 32 is used in place of a predetermined section of insulation layer 14 and/or board layer 22, particularly a section proximate to drain 13. Stated another way, sump 32 is installed into insulation layer 14 and/or board 22 with opening 34 of sump 32 being aligned with drain hole 13 within deck 12. Opening 34 may be prefabricated or cut in to sump 32 before or after placement of sump 32 into roof system 10 so that drain hole 34 aligns with the drain opening 13. In one or more embodiments, sump 32 may be secured to deck 12 by any method known in the art, including by mechanical fasteners and/or with the use of adhesives.

In one or more embodiments, sump 32 is installed within roof system 10 in a manner such that the outer periphery 33 of sump 32 is substantially flush (or of the same height) as the uppermost surface of the uppermost layer of construction board (e.g. coverboard or insulation board) underlying membrane 38. For example, as shown, outer periphery 33 is substantially flush with the top portion 23 of coverboard layer 22. This positioning, which may be referred to as horizontal alignment, can be accomplished by employing several techniques or designs. In one embodiment, sump 32 is fabricated to a predetermined height that is the same or similar to the predetermined height of the board layers (e.g. layers 14 and/or 22). As shown in FIG. 2, portions 35 and 36 of sump 32 are one integral portion spanning the height of insulation layer 14 and/or cover board layer 14. In alternate embodiments, a spacer is provided below sump 32 to raise the height of sump 32 to meet the height of board layers (e.g. layers 14 and/or 22). For example, sump 32 is prefabricated to thickness equivalent to insulation boards 16, and a construction board, such as a cover board, is placed below sump 32 (with appropriate hole therein) to thereby raise the height of sump 32 to meet the height of the board layers (e.g. the total height of layers 14 and 22). With reference again to FIG. 2, in this alternate embodiment, coverboard, which can be represented by 36, is positioned below sump 32.

In yet other embodiments, sump 32 is sized equivalent or substantially equivalent to the height of insulation layer 14, and cover board layer 22 simply extends above the height of sump 32. In these or other embodiments, the exposed edges of the cover board layer 22 (i.e. those edges proximate to sump 32) can be eased or radiused to provide a transition from board layer 22 to the surface of sump 32, which may thereby prevent the later installed membrane 28 from being exposed to a sharp corner transition between cover board layer 22 and sump 32. In other embodiments, a cover board is placed over sump 32. In the latter embodiment, the skilled person will appreciate that the coverboard will be manipulated in order to install the same over the sump. First, a hole must be cut in the cover board. Second, the cover board must be manipulated to achieve the appropriate taper to complement sump 32. This can be done by using one or more techniques. For example, the cover board can be cut into wedges and pieced around the drain on the upper surface of sump 32. Or, the coverboard can be provided with a series of slits to allow for manipulation of the board relative to its horizontal axis and thereby allow the cover board to be secured in a relatively flush manner against the upper surface of the sump.

Turning now to the specific features of sump 32, reference can now be made to FIGS. 3 and 4. Here, sump 32 may be formed as a single, molded piece or, in other embodiments, as multiple, molded pieces (i.e. a modular sump). Advantageously, sump 32 is molded at a factory and shipped to the job site. As such, little or no cutting or other fabrication of sump 32 is required except for, optionally, the formation of a drain hole 34, which may be formed by removing a pre-fabricated recessed “punch out” or by cutting at a desired location. Also, sump 32 may be optionally sized to fit into an opening left within board layers (e.g. layers 14 and/or 22), although it may be desirable to eliminate this step and instead construct layers 14 and/22 to allow for sump 32.

In one or more embodiments, sump 32 may be constructed (e.g. molded) from or with an insulating material. Advantageously, in one or more embodiments, sump 32 may be constructed of the same material as insulation boards 16 or coverboards 21. Insulating materials include those cellular materials. Useful insulating materials for forming sump 32 include high-density polyisocyanurate (e.g. greater than 2.5 pcf), low-density polyisocyanurate foams (e.g. less than 2.5 pcf), polyurethane, polystyrene, lightweight insulating concrete (LWIC), or any other insulating material. LWIC is typically a mixture of cement, air, water and an air-entrained aggregate. If aggregate is not included, LWIC may be referred to as cellular concrete. The density of LWIC may range between 22 to 38 pounds per cubic foot (pcf) and may be provided in thickness up to 3 inches or more. High-density and low-density polyisocyanurate foams are known as described in U.S. Publ. No. 2006/0179749, which is incorporated herein by reference.

As generally described above, sump 32 is an insert configured as a sump device that directs water to an opening 34, which may be referred to as drain 34. In one or more embodiments, sump 32 includes a substantially planar bottom surface 42, which allows sump 32 to rest in a stable manner on the underlying surface (e.g. deck 12). Extending from planar bottom surface 42 are a plurality of side walls 44. As shown, side walls 44 extend substantially perpendicularly from bottom surface 42, but in other embodiments the walls may angle slightly less or more than perpendicular depending upon any design need. Each side wall 44 provides a top edge 46 that is connected to an inwardly sloping top surface 50. As shown, inwardly sloping top surface 50 may transition from top edges 46 to a platform 52, which in most embodiments is centrally positioned within sump 32 below a level of top edges 46. The skilled artisans will nonetheless appreciate that platform 52 or an effective low point may be located in areas not centrally located within sump 32. In one or more embodiments, platform 52 provides an area for drain hole 34 to be cut on site, such that drain hole 34 aligns with drain opening 13 provided by a roof system. Skilled artisans will appreciate that top surface 50 may be linear from top edges 46 to platform 52. In other embodiments top surface 50 may be curvilinear, or a combination of linear and curvilinear surfaces. Indeed, in some embodiments, a parabolic shape may be employed, or whatever shape may be provided as long as water is directed toward platform 52 and/or drain hole 34.

Some embodiments may provide for molded sump 32 to be provided in segments or sections, which may facilitate shipping or handling. As shown in FIG. 3, a segment line 60 designates two device segments. In other embodiments, other segment lines may be employed to provide for other segments. For example, in specific embodiments, sump 32 is constructed from four segments. With reference to FIGS. 4A and 4B, the sump may include a segment 62A, which is a quarter of a sump divided into four sections.

In one or more embodiments, segment 62A includes a segment facing surface 64A while segment 62B provides a segment facing surface 64B. When assembled on the roof, segment facing surfaces 64A and 64B are positioned adjacent and optionally in touching contact with one another. In some embodiments, segment facing surfaces 64A and 64B may be provided with a segment joint 68. Joint 68 is provided in a lower portion of facing surfaces 64A and 64B so that segment joint 68 may extend from one side of sump 32 to the other when segments 62A and 62B are assembled to one another. As such, segment joint 68 may include a joint plug 68A provided in segment 62A and a joint socket 68B may be provided in segment 62B. The plug 68A and socket 68B are mated with one another when the segments 62A and 62B are positioned adjacent one another. Although a plug and socket configuration is shown, it will be appreciated that any mating type of alignment feature may be provided so as to facilitate the alignment and/or connection of two or more segments with one another. And, in certain embodiments, mating portions are simply not provided and face 64A and face 64B are simply placed in proximity and the segments are locked into position by attachment techniques including those used for securing insulation board to the roof such as mechanical fasteners and/or adhesives.

In one or more embodiments, the segments of sump 32 (e.g. 62A), which are advantageously molded as described above, carry a unique geometry that derives from the fact that the segments can molded as opposed to those prior art configurations that are cut from tapered board. In this regard, reference can be made to FIG. 4A, where segment 62A includes two rectangular faces 44 and 44′. With reference to FIG. 4B, segment 62A also includes two tapered faces 45 and 45′ opposed to 44 and 44′ respectively, which each have a trapezoid face. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that where sump 32 is includes two segments, as shown in FIG. 3, each segment will include three rectangular faces and one face that is generally shaped as a concave pentagon. Advantageously, whether the sump is constructed of two or four segments, the respective segments, each of which has a unique geometry relative to the prior art, is a molded, integral piece.

Referring now to FIGS. 5 and 6, it can be seen that another type of molded roofing insert is shown. The molded roofing insert may be employed to accommodate non-linear or non-draining portions of a roof system. In particular, the insert may be provided in areas where a non-linear surface is desired, or where it is desired to re-direct water from a specific area. In the present embodiment, the insert is embodied in a molded cricket designated generally by the numeral 80. Molded cricket 80 may be employed in a roof system designated generally by the numeral 82. In this system, by way of example only, a chimney 84 may be provided in conjunction with a sloping roof system 86 wherein sloping roof system 86 is similar in construction to roof system 10 described above. In this configuration, a roof-chimney intersection 88 is provided. Intersection 88 provides an area where water is likely to accumulate and eventually cause damage to the underlying roof system 86. So as to divert water away from roof-chimney intersection 88, it is commonly known to construct on site a cricket having tapered insulation. Constructing the two halves of the cricket from tapered insulation boards wastes about 50% of the materials used to construct the cricket on site. In place of this, a molded cricket is configured to be sized to match the roof slope and provide for an insert to be used in place of constructing a wood version.

Molded cricket 80 includes a bottom surface 90 that matches the slope of roof 86. Skilled artisans will appreciate that various molds may be employed to match various roof surfaces as deemed appropriate. In any event, extending from bottom surface 90 may be a relatively flat abutment surface 94 that is positioned adjacent the surface of chimney 84. Connecting the edges of bottom surface 90 and flat abutment surface 94 are a pair of sloping side surfaces 96 and 97, which form an apex 98 at their adjacent connecting edges. Installation of the appropriately shaped cricket 80 then allows for the membrane material and/or other components of the roof system to be placed over the sloping side surfaces and any other finishing materials that are employed in the roof system so as to match the other materials and/or appearance.

Turning now to the installation of sump 32, embodiments can be described with reference to FIG. 7, which shows an installation method 100 including, at step 102, placement of (i.e. installation of) the insulation layer and/or cover boards on the roof deck. Optionally, provided at step 104, an opening may be cut or otherwise fabricated (e.g. by the installers) in the insulation layer and/or board layers, which opening may be fabricated by cutting an insulation board to an appropriate size around a drain area, or the boards may be arranged to form an opening without cutting of the boards. In any event, at step 106, a drain hole may optionally be cut into the molded sump platform or the insert may be modified as needed to match a particular shape drain provided by the roof system.

Next, at step 110, if desired, a seal connection may be made between the edges of the insulation board and the molded insert. Following this, at step 112, a molded sump 32 is positioned into the opening, or a molded cricket is positioned directly on to the insulation board. Where a molded sump 32 is being positioned, a drain hole 34 can be cut prior to installation of the molded sump 32.

In one or more embodiments, once this is complete, if desired, cover boards 22 may be positioned over the molded sump 32 in such a way to form the opening 24, or the opening 24 may be cut into one of the boards 22 and then the membrane layer 28 with the opening 29 is installed at step 114 to complete the construction.

The advantages of the present invention are readily apparent in that a molded sump, cricket, or other type of insert may be employed to create complex drainage parts as opposed to cutting and assembling these parts on site. Accordingly, these parts can be used for sumps, saddles, or crickets, or any other dimensional configuration so as to save time and materials, and also to provide a better configuration of the roof system. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A roofing insert, comprising: a molded insert made with insulating material having at least one planar surface opposed by either a non-planar surface or more than one non-parallel surface.
 2. The insert according to claim 1, wherein said insulating material is selected from the group consisting of polyisocyanurate, polyurethane, polystyrene, and lightweight insulating concrete (LWIC).
 3. The insert according to claim 1, further comprising: a plurality of sidewalls extending from said at least one planar surface, each side wall having a top edge, wherein said non-planar surface slopes downwardly from said top edges.
 4. The insert according to claim 3, further comprising: a platform which is connected to said non-planar surface at about a central position of the insert.
 5. The insert according to claim 3, wherein said molded insert is segmented into at least two segments, wherein a mating segment joint extends along a facing surface of each said segment.
 6. A roofing insert, comprising: a molded insert made with insulating material having a planar bottom surface, an abutment surface extending from said planar bottom surface, and wherein the planar bottom surface and the abutment surface are connected by two sloping surfaces.
 7. The insert according to claim 6 wherein each sloping surface has a top edge, and wherein said top edges meet at an apex.
 8. The insert according to claim 6, wherein said insulating material is selected from the group consisting of polyisocyanurate, polyurethane, polystyrene, and lightweight insulating concrete (LWIC).
 9. A roofing system comprising: (i) a deck board layer; (ii) an insulation board layer disposed on said deck board, said insulation board layer having an insulation board layer opening; (iii) a molded insert received in said insulation board layer opening; and (iv) a membrane layer disposed over said insulation board layer and said molded sump.
 10. The roofing system according to claim 9, wherein said molded insert is made with insulating material having at least one planar surface opposed by either a non-planar surface or more than one non-parallel surface.
 11. The roofing system according to claim 10, wherein said insulating material of the molded insert is selected from the group consisting of polyisocyanurate, polyurethane, polystyrene, and lightweight insulating concrete (LWIC).
 12. The roofing system according to claim 10, the molded insert further comprising: a plurality of sidewalls extending from said at least one planar surface, each side wall having a top edge, wherein said non-planar surface slopes downwardly from said top edges.
 13. The roofing system according to claim 12, the molded insert further comprising: a platform which is connected to said non-planar surface at about a central position of the insert.
 14. The roofing system according to claim 12, wherein said molded insert is segmented into at least two segments, wherein a mating segment joint extends along a facing surface of each said segment.
 15. A roofing system containing a vertical abutment means comprising: (i) a sloped roof deck comprising: a) a deck board layer; b) an insulation board layer disposed on said deck board; and c) a membrane layer disposed over said insulation board layer; (ii) a vertical abutment means, wherein the intersection of the sloped roof deck and the vertical abutment means creates a roof-abutment intersection; and (iii) a molded insert received within the roof-abutment intersection.
 16. The roofing system of claim 15, wherein said molded insert is made with insulating material and said insulating material is selected from the group consisting of polyisocyanurate, polyurethane, polystyrene, and lightweight insulating concrete (LWIC).
 17. The roofing system of claim 15, wherein the molded insert comprises a planar bottom surface, an abutment surface extending from said planar bottom surface, and wherein the planar bottom surface and the abutment surface are connected by two sloping surfaces.
 18. The roofing system of claim 17, wherein the planar bottom surface of the mold insert is placed adjacent the sloped roof deck and the abutment surface is placed adjacent the vertical abutment means within the roof-abutment intersection.
 19. The roofing system of claim 17, wherein each sloping surface has a top edge, and wherein said top edges meet at an apex.
 20. The roofing system of claim 15, wherein the vertical abutment means is a chimney. 